Influence is not something in the genes. And it’s not how many followers you have. Influence is knowing how to communicate. It’s about communicating powerfully to get what you want. Here are 4 presentation mistakes that rob you of influence:
Overexplaining - A common mistake in meetings and presentations is to give too much information. Too many words can confuse the listeners and cause them to tune out. When you overexplain you weaken your case. Instead, speak in soundbites. Use fewer words and get to the point. Start with the headline and then give examples to support your point. Lots of words soften the message. Take command of your language and stay on track.
Letting others steal your ideas - At a meeting and especially in a virtual presentation, it’s easy for ideas to get lost. As a leader you’ll be judged on your ideas so you want to make sure you get credit. When someone intercepts your idea, take it back by saying, “Thanks for expanding my idea and where I was going with it was…” By having these one liners you’ll be able to act quickly to let the listeners know where the idea originated.
Little or no negotiation - Whether it’s a job offer or a sales call, your best leverage is to negotiate up front, not later. It’s harder to get a raise or increase your price once you commit to a number. Negotiation is a presentation not a confrontation. Using facts and figures. This makes the negotiation friendlier and more neutral while still allowing you to maintain enthusiasm. “I’m very interested in this job. And if I accepted this offer I wouldn’t respect myself and I don’t think you would either. So I want to discuss how we bring this up by 20% that would be consistent with what the market pays, reflect what my last salary was and make me excited to work for you.”
Allowing Interruptions - Talking over people can easily happen in a Zoom call. To minimize participants interrupting each other, appoint a strong facilitator. When someone does interrupt, you can either keep talking or say, “Hold on a minute. I wasn’t finished. If that doesn’t work, when the person stops talking, say, “Let me pick up where I left off. I wasn’t completely finished.”
If you ever wondered why some people are more influential than others, listen to their communication. We all have the power to influence once we know how to present ourselves and our message.